Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1887-08-10
General Law Business
Transacted.

the cavern, and I started in that direc-
ton, feeling along with my hands. Bijou
was there before me!
cit is useless, gentlemen, to describe to
you what I felt regarding this strange
and perilous adventure. 1t is always
painful to die at 25-and then, what q
death!
Gwen my carbine remained upon the
path above me-instead Of defending 1T
would expose me. My poor old mother!
I was her only child. had sent her my
pay by the driver Of the Nyon diligence
just the evening before, and she had only
this pay to live upon. And Rosette, who
would come to the chalet of Trelasse the
following night to meet me-Rosette
whom loved, and who returned that
love!
"Think of it, gentlemen, the cruelty of
this fate; and had only been in that
devilish post of Cure three months, all
told. But it is useless to speak of that,
or to tell you of the fears, the regrets and
memories that threw me into sort OF
torpor. was benumbed, stupefied, and
at last fell asleep.
Suddenly I awoke with start. I had
hell. 1t was the voice of Petit Francois
speaking to his brothers.
"'The spy is down there, of course,
said he; but no matter; in any case we
must try the fire, and smoke him out.
Tune up the violinsp Then all was
silence!
GA man in the hour Of approaching
death has such need of tenderness and af-
lection that I wished even to embrace for
the last time my little Bijou; but where
was he? I felt all around me, called him
softly; he was gone-my only friend had
disappeared!
"The silence continued perhaps for half
an hour Mechanically grasping the
handle of my sword, waited in the dark
ness, determined to sell my life as dearly
as possible in case they should unexpect-
edly invade the cavern by an entrance
known only to themselves.
"See my hair, gentlemen; white as the
driven snow, and l am not yet 40 years of
age! It comes from that awful expert
ence. God keep you from suffering the
like!
'fBut all at once" the gendarme con-
tinued, "the place was filed with fash
of light-Petit Francois and his brothers
had begun their internal work-they were
smoking me Quit To leave my hiding
place behind the bales of merchandise and
endeavor to extinguish the brands would
only be presenting myself as target for
their revolvers. On the other hand, the
acrid smoke of the burning boughs filed
my throat and stopped my breathing. My
ears already rung and roared with the
noise of thousand devils.
cat last could stand it no longer, and
cried for mercy.
DO not burn me, Petit Francois I
begged; do not burn me, for I surrender.
Kill me afterward if you please, but air
for the love of God, give me ARP
Then it is you, Abram,' he replied;
you, the spy! So much the better. l
long ago reserved you for morsel for the
dogs. But, draw him up, boys; draw him
to the top. I want to see the grimaces
he'll make when we hang him to the
branches. Let down rope; he'll cling
to it fast enough. And be sure he
added, in lower tone of voice, that no
one else is there
ga moment later the rope descended,
and, like the drowning man who clings to
straw, was not long in selling and
lashing myself to it, for between two
deaths one is certain to choose that which
is furthest off. Pull up? cried Petit
Francois, but scarcely had I reached the
level of the path when he rushed upon
me, upset me and bound me hand and
foot, and with those never to be loosened
knots of the contrabandists.
Now, Children said he, we must
decamp from here and as quickly as pos
sible. Recover the opening with pine
boughs and snow, and then, Monsieur
Abram, we will take you for O prone
made
''The entrance to the cavern again con-
cealed, Petit Francois slackened the cords
which bound my feet enough for me to
walk, hung upon my back and neck a
bundle of merchandise and ordered me to
fall in line and carry like beast Of bur-
den. All, how those scoundrels laughed
and jeered as they prodded me along with
the ends of their carbines! You may not
think it from the position was in, but
began to have a little hope. There was a
chance, you sea- slight one, it is true
that some of my colleagues would be on
sentry at narrow defile not far from the
hollow of the Crouaz, where there was
sort of breach in the wall for conceal
ment.
"The contrabandists evidently had the
same reflection, for they turned to the
right and continued the ascent by more
circuitous passage, but which would bring
us in rear of any one on guard at that
point. 1t was now in the neighborhood
of 3 o'clock. We walked for an hour
longer, when Petit Francois called halt,
and, taking the package 1 had carried
since we left the hollow, he concealed it in
a crevice of the rocks which overhung the
SIDE
"'Take a look at your gibbet, Abram,'
he cried, with a hooking laugh. You
cannot say that have chosen it badly
and he pointed toward a monster pine
tree occupying the center of the clearing,
whose branches, thick as ordinary tree
trunks, extended from the sides like the
arms of q huge candelabra.
".All summer long the tourists of the
mountains will come to call upon you as
you came to call upon me-for which, my
pretty blackbird,' approaching me with
curses, you will hang up there
'If you had seen the face of that mon
ster, his lips trembling with rage, his
hands as big as battledores, and covered
with rough and hairy skin, you would
have known at once that prayers and APP
peals to his mercy would simply have been
time thrown away. 1t only remained for
me to die, and to die bravely for the honor
of my division.
Put up the rope, Louis, Francois
called to his brother; tie it to one Of the
lower branches; while waiting we will
amuse ourselves with the gentleman who
explores so we'll
"f,he amusement of Petit Francois con-
sisted in binding me securely to the trunk
r" which he took off his coat